The most recent episode of Project Runway has reignited some "Is it a good idea to be wearing this to bed?" anxieties within me. This may sound weird but let me explain. I learned the hard way that wearing whatever you want to bed can have consequences while I was working at summer camp. The reason why I was woken up in the middle of the night is a secret camp tradition that I am not at liberty to write about BUT I can tell you that around 10 pm putting on a matching pajama shirt and shorts with purple stars on them (that my great aunt gave me because she never really had a firm grasp on my age) seemed harmless. I don't remember how those pajamas got put into my camp trunk or why I needed to wear them (I definitely had other pajamas) but I do remember the embarrassment I felt when every other counselor I saw at that late hour asked me "What are you wearing Julia?!?"
Consequently, for several years after that (at camp or at home) I was very conscious of what I slept in. Who knows who would be waking you up in the middle of the night. This continued to be a concern when I worked at the residential treatment for troubled teens. On average, I got woken up after I had gone to be about once a month and the teenagers I lived with were not always known for their kind words as it was so I really didn't want to be caught dead in anything humorous.
It had been over a year since I have been in any sort of situation where there has been a possibility of me being woken up in the middle of the night and this I have become less diligent about making sure I don't look ridiculous. Now don't get me wrong I have not brought back the purple star pajamas but I have sometimes chosen comfort over cuteness.
Then I saw the first episode of this season's Project Runway. If you have never seen an episode of Project Runway, (You need to) I will explain it to you. Project Runway brings together a group of colorful clothing designers and gives them challenges. At the end of each challenge there is a runway show and someone is eliminated. It is hands down one of my favorite shows. This past weeks episode involved the designers being woken up at 5 am being told (by Tim Gunn- The shows lovable mentor) to bring with them one sheet off their bed and the clothes off their back. Once they arrived at the workroom they were told that they were to make an outfit using their pajamas and the sheet as materials. And so as I got ready for bed the other night and pulled on some brightly colored, heart printed shorts I honestly thought to myself "What if Tim Gunn wakes you up in the middle of the night Julia? Do you really want to have to make an outfit out of this?"
